HighTower Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. $CMG

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) by 78.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 153,479 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 553,153 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $5,679,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CMG. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 106.7% in the 3rd quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp now owns 775 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Winthrop Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 109.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 890 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.30% of the company’s stock.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMG opened at $32.66 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.27. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a one year low of $29.75 and a one year high of $58.42. The company has a market cap of $41.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.03.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.24. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.96% and a return on equity of 49.64%. The firm had revenue of $3.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Monday, March 9th. BNP Paribas Exane raised their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $51.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.03.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Profile

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant company known for its Mexican-inspired menu of burritos, bowls, tacos and salads. Founded in 1993 by Steve Ells, the chain emphasizes fresh, customizable meals made from a limited menu of core ingredients and a focus on ingredient quality. Chipotle operates primarily company-owned restaurants and offers dine-in, takeout, catering and delivery through its own digital platforms and third-party partners.

The company is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and traces its roots to Denver, Colorado.